BOOK NOTE: Pysanky for the 21st century by master of ancient art (05/29/05)

BOOK NOTE: Pysanky for the 21st century by master of ancient art

"Pysanky in the 21st Century," by Helen Badulak. Kutztown, Pa. The Kutztown Publishing Co. Inc., 2004, 229 pp., $50 (hard cover).

The ancient Ukrainian art of creating pysanky has never before seemed more beautiful and poignant than in the way it is presented by Helen Badulak in her first self-published book, "Pysanky in the 21st Century." In her new hard-cover release, the experienced Master of Pysanky - a title bestowed by the National Egg Art Guild - carefully details the process by which she has crafted pysanky with an extreme passion for 35 years.

The 240-page, full-color book offers a unique insight on the timeless art of the pysanka, an important representation of Ukrainian culture. The book's pages are filled with delicately illustrated pysanky of both traditional and modern styles.

Throughout the book, over 1,500 different designs are displayed in an educational fashion. Many of these designs are thoroughly explained in order to inform the reader of the techniques and styles used to create the pysanky.

Mrs. Badulak's vast knowledge of pysanky is displayed at once in the opening chapters, which highlight the several different common patterns that so many pysanka designs feature. These patterns are structurally important; they are the building blocks of each individual pysanka, and are separated into divisions. These divisions - gateway, vertical, barrel, triangle and eye of a needle - identify the way in which a pattern flows around the egg.

The book acts not only as a reference for an ancient Ukrainian art form, but as a pictorial autobiography of the life of Helen Badulak.

As a child born in war-torn Ukraine, Mrs. Badulak spent the greater part of her childhood years moving from Nazi labor camps to various displaced persons camps. As soon as these camps were liberated, her family moved to the United States, and Mrs. Badulak lost touch with her Ukrainian heritage.

As she grew up in America she became truly intrigued by the vast amount of cultural diversity she encountered here. This instilled in her a deeper appreciation for her own culture, and she began pursuing the art of pysanky to "rekindle the connection with [her] Ukrainian heritage lost during World War II."

Although the author herself dubs it a "how-to" book, the volume certainly has more to offer than just the cut and dry guidelines presented by many books of a similar nature. In fact, the book is an authoritative reference for more advanced pysanka artists, meant to provide them with design ideas once they have grasped the various techniques. Mrs. Badulak shares with readers a more in-depth approach to crafting these magnificent displays of Ukrainian culture.

From reading the book, it is clear that Mrs. Badulak possesses a genuine passion for the art. The reader's journey through a visual representation of Ukrainian culture begins in the introduction, where the author provides a brief history of her involvement in the art. From there, Mrs. Badulak educates the reader on the tools and materials required for the process.

Mrs. Badulak also makes an effort to explain to readers the subtle, yet significant differences in the different types of eggs used for the pysanky.

The rest of the book focuses on displaying various styles and designs, most of which are custom schemes that the Master of Pysanky herself devised. There are several principal designs that Mrs. Badulak showcases to readers. For these eggs, she constructs a simple, yet concise step-process for designs that can be re-created by the reader.

Toward the end of the book, Mrs. Badulak offers a rather extensive autobiographical history that explains the way in which she chose to pursue the art form.

This new book is not only a comprehensive guide to making pysanky, it is a testament to the wonderfully rich Ukrainian heritage that is manifested in these miniature works of art.

The book may be purchased via mail from: Pysanky Collectibles, 62 Orchard Road, Fleetwood, PA 19522. Price: $50 plus $7.50 for first-class shipping.

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